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Meal Prep Calculator

Quick answer

Plan weekly meal prep with exact totals: meals, calories, and a grocery budget estimate.

  • Enter people, meals per day, days, and calories per meal.

Figures are estimates from this calculator’s standard formula — adjust the inputs in the tool below for your exact number.

How the Meal Prep Calculator Works

total meals = people x meals per day x days; calories = meals x kcal; grocery estimate = meals x 3 dollars

The tool multiplies household size, meal frequency, and prep days into a total meal count, then sums calories and applies a simple 3-dollar-per-meal grocery estimate.

  1. 1

    Enter household size

    Type how many people you are cooking for.

  2. 2

    Set meals and days

    Enter meals per person per day and the number of prep days.

  3. 3

    Add calories

    Give calories per meal to get totals and the grocery estimate.

FAQs

How many meals do I prep for 4 people eating 2 meals a day for 5 days?

4 x 2 x 5 = 40 meals total. At 500 kcal per meal that is 20,000 calories for the week.

What grocery budget does the calculator estimate?

It uses 3 dollars per meal, so 40 meals come to roughly a 120 dollar grocery estimate for the prep week.

How many meals for one person doing 7-day full prep?

One person eating 3 meals a day for 7 days needs 21 meals, about 63 dollars with the built-in estimate.

Can I use it for lunch-only prep?

Yes: set meals per day to 1. Two people, 5 workdays lunches give 10 meals and, at 600 kcal each, 6,000 calories.

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